Tag Archives: museum

It’s hard to believe that 2 years ago I was working as an accountant in a small local, family run practice, happily going from home to school to work and back again, never imagining that big changes were just around the corner. Less than 3 months later, I was made redundant overnight, quite literally, and unexpectedly found myself back on the hunt in the job market, not quite sure where I was headed, but knowing I wanted something new.

I decided to make what felt like a strategic decision about a change in my career path and chose to move into the charity sector. My new job was with a local museum, which was moving from being purely a project to becoming a successful operational business and it has come with a series of challenges, ups and downs, long hours and late nights. I have had to work out a way to deal with the unpleasant reality of workplace bullying and have come out the other side, hopefully a stronger person for it.

All things considered, the last 18 months have stretched and developed me in so many ways and I have had the pleasure of working with some of the loveliest people I have met in my working life. So, tomorrow is going to be a tough and no doubt emotional day. Back in January, for a number of reasons, I decided that the time was right to move on and tomorrow is my last day at the museum. I am taking up a new role as the Head of Finance and Premises with our regional Air Ambulance charity and I can’t wait to get started. I have been privileged to be a part of an exciting new venture and I will miss massively the people who have supported me, laughed with me and had the odd drink or 3 with me since I began. I wish them all every success with their future careers, wherever their paths might take them and I’m looking forward to embarking on the next part of my own adventure.

The same weekend we dipped our toes into the Wagamama dining experience, we also visited the Dr Who Experience in Cardiff. This was a trip that has been a long time in the planning and which was the result of M winning the Grand Prize at the Big Bang Science Fair that we attended at the NEC earlier this year. There has been a fair amount of to-ing and fro-ing to settle on a date that suited all involved, but finally the day arrived and the whole family, plus one extra excited 9 year-old, started on our way. We arrived at Cardiff Bay bright and early and meandered our way in the glorious Welsh sunshine towards the purpose-built centre, following an eager M, his friend N and a slightly less certain G.

Our visit started with the interactive tour, which led us on an intergalactic adventure to help 12th Doctor, Peter Capaldi, save the universe. It starts in the Gallifrey Museum and weaves it way through various unmistakeable Dr Who locations before reaching its thrilling conclusion. Despite the initial reluctance of both M and G, neither of whom are fond of loud noises, darkened rooms or unexpected surprises, we made our way through unscathed and N, a much more avid Dr Who fan than M will likely ever be, eagerly took up the challenges we faced. The experience asks that no photos or filming is done during the interactive tour to ensure there are no spoilers out there for future visitors and we were more than happy to oblige.

Adventure completed, we headed into the exhibition hall, which is a veritable feast for any die-hard Whovian who is lucky enough to visit. I could quite happily have spent a couple of hours perusing the costumes, props and other pieces of memorabilia from the past 50 years of this cult TV classic. I was thrilled to see an original Dalek and various incarnations of the Cybermen, the best-loved classic enemies of the Doctor, placed sympathetically amongst their more modern counterparts. There was a fantastic array of costumes featuring not just those of each of the 13 Doctors seen on our screens, but also a selection from some of their ever-faithful companions. Awaiting discovery around every corner were unimaginable treasures including K9, multiple sonic screwdrivers and the iconic Time And Relative Dimension In Space (better known as the TARDIS to you and me) – both inside and out. We spent a happy hour or so exploring all that was on offer, everyone enjoyed the visit and I think I possibly proved myself to be the biggest Dr Who geek of the family!

Victims must speak out to end workplace bullying in Wales. Those in positions to effect change must listen! I won't give up until anyone experiencing workplace bullying gets support & respect. My personal account as a victim of workplace bullying at mental health charity MIND